Will senators in Pierre put foreign investors over South Dakotans?
S.D. political leaders and majority are cracking down on foreign ownership of S.D. private farmland in the state. They are closing the loopholes that hid foreign investors that hide behind corporations.
Will the GOP leadership and senators do the same when it comes to putting S.D. landowner rights before the rights of foreign investors?
Right now, there is HB1133 that passed the House and is headed for the Senate for a vote that will dictate the individual senators as well as the party’s priorities. A vote for HB1133 will limit the use of eminent domain for these non-public use CO2 pipelines; it will not shut the door on them but make it that they have to get 100% VOLUNTARY easements from landowners for their projects and not use eminent domain as a tool for leverage to obtain easements.
A vote against HB1133 will speak volumes that the senators and GOP favor foreign investor-backed corporations to exploit the Constitution and tell individual landowners they and their right to protect their property are not as valued as the promise of revenue from foreign investor projects, revenue that will be paid from profits in your tax dollars in the form of 45q tax credits.
Will the senators try to walk both sides of the fence and be against foreign ownership but not stand up for S.D. landowners under attack by foreign investors to use eminent domain in the taking of their land at the same time?
Or will they equally protect S.D. property owners as well as push to limit foreign purchase of S.D.land by countries such as China? HB1133 vote will tell if our elected officials stand for all South Dakotans or if they stand for foreign investor wealthy and politically connected corporations.
